76. More than just the cake

No candles on this cake 

As the goal to attain 'net zero' emissions by year 2050 gains global currency, climate change mitigation by trapping excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere retains an added significance. That the soil holds three times more carbon than the atmosphere has been scientifically validated, however, unchecked soil degradation has left this potential  far from being fully realized. Maintaining the capacity of the soil to act as a functional carbon sink needs to work in tandem with the goal of emission reduction.     

As a replenishable biological resource, dung holds soil particles together for making the landmass act like a veritable carbon sink while keeping the soil moist and productive. With 5 million tons of dung on offer on a daily basis in the country, India holds rare credentials to bring dung on the global climate agenda.  While its climate-friendly credentials of trapping soil carbon are only beginning to be realized, dung has add-on benefits of being antibacterial and anti-fungal, with recently developed thermally insulating-paint out of it being the latest addition to its list of virtues. 

As a milch country, has the country valued cattle dung to gain the desired global attention? Little has been done to salvage dung that lies splintered on roads with cows foraging from the roadside dust bins. Considered an economic resource of immense cultural value, its colossal neglect has yet to catch the attention it deserves. Nothing could be more curious than such an abandonment of a resource that comes virtually free. Even the National Biogas Program, launched in 1981, to convert dung into cooking gas has done pretty little to uplift dung's sagging image as a valuable resource. 

With its uninterrupted daily replenishment, dung is a deceptively simple raw material that has shown immense conversion value. It's nutritive worth for crops and energy value as fuel runs into billions of rupees, worthy of making the market go bullish. However, spotting dung on the streets provides a grim example of how its tangible aspects as a source with multiple benefits have failed to garner political attention. Political philosopher Jeremy Waldron may have been referring to dung when he said 'things are not quite as they seem'.

No surprise, therefore, people have learnt to live with dung which are unceremoniously scattered almost everywhere. While its ritual significance amidst diverse cultural traditions is discerning, dung  plastered as cakes on village walls and as dung-pyramids dotting the landscape presents a different story. Least said, a milk-nation has paid scant attention to dung.      

The question begging attention is: why despite many virtues good ideas about dung have lacked systematic promotion? The only exception being when noted economist E F Schumacher had pulled it out from the near abyss in the 80's by advising the government to get gas and manure out of it, through what became known as a biogas. In forty years that have gone by, not only has the ambitious program of building 12 million biogas units fell short of target by over 70 per cent, but has more dysfunctional and defunct units to its credit.

It may read like a fairy tale on unsuccessful attempts at quietude but dung has continued to act like a periscope of ideas to tease creative minds. Interestingly, like most bakery products sun-baked dung cakes can now be ordered online. There is an energy and manure value in dung cakes! Perhaps, more attractive is the recent proposal by the Chhattisgarh government to buy dung for Rs 2 per kilo at farmers' doorsteps. The country needs to value its dung from a climate perspective, incentivising its distribution to enriching soils can be a national program. 

Given the climatic urgency, there can be little denying that the country needs to be both empathetic and prepared to bring dung on the climatic agenda. Unless we alert ourselves from being lout in our dealing with dung, it will remain neglected both as a resource as well as an idea.

First published in Deccan Herald, issue dated Oct 27, 2021.

75. When printed word was the gospel truth

Singer Sulakshna Pandit on the cover of JS

In the absolute silence enforced by the invisible corona virus, the thub-thub of my own chest has become a metronome of interesting revelations. Much of the past has revealed itself in bits and  pieces. Putting them together into a narrative has helped relive those days of growing up. I recall how small odors of spices were infused by a clutch of magazines for emerging middle-class readers in the early years of post-independent era. Rich in contents and editorial gravitas, these magazines had promoted a sub-culture of creative writing. Promoting a sense of social responsibility among diverse readership, those publications accorded some sense of recognition to mortals like me who wrote in the domestic patois. 

During 1970's, Mirror had emerged as a monthly magazine with wholesome reading for the entire family. For a sports buff who spent hours in the library digging facts on country's hockey laurels from the Encyclopaedia Britanicca, the magazine gave maiden opportunity for me to share the fact that Roop Singh, brother of hockey wizard Dhyan Chand, had scored more goals in 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. India had humbled hosts USA to a record 24-1 in hockey, that has remained unchallenged ever since. The fact-filled piece had proved a stepping stone for me to get published in other leading magazines of the time, monthly Imprint and the premier Illustrated Weekly of India. 

When concerns of the youth had begun to extend beyond domesticity, magazines like Youth Times and JS (Junior Statesman) had helped shape expressions of both conservative and elitist voices of the young generation. Immensely engaging, these publications gave youth a thrilling ride to deflate their windbag egotism. Guiding young collegiates to situate themselves in the bewildering realities of changing times, Anees Jung edited young minds' warped accounts in Youth Times while irresistible Desmond Doig captured lyrical enthusiasm of his readers in JS. Much before the youth were sucked into the world of competitive existence, these two magazines had helped youth in carving their distinct niche in society.     

With special appetite for the printed word gaining currency, there was a perceptible shift in the cultural tectonic plate across most middle-income households. Vying for a share in emerging readership, competition among publishing houses had led to a variety of magazines on offer for the discerning readers. Sarika to quench literary thirst; Dinman for political undercurrents; Madhuri for film freaks; Nandan for the adolescents, and Dharamyug for the seniors were monthly acquisitions for most Hindi-speaking households. Curiously, reading had emerged as a consumptive habit for a vibrant society. 

As I recount hazy images of the befuddled past, I realize how a learning and sharing landscape abuzz with a distinct sense of responsive sensibility towards each other has been long lost. While then editors would guide and nurture budding writers, in the present times building email connectivity with editors is a rarity. I recall how snail mails from editor M D Japheth accepting my articles in Mirror were both encouraging and inspiring; and Anees Jung guiding me to focus more on flow than parading the narrative with heavy words in Youth Times had left an indelible mark on my writings ever since.       

Although there is much on offer to read now and that too free, it is the subtle bonding with the magazines that has disappeared from our lives. Recalling the words of Yash Chopra, the silver screen’s undisputed king of romance, invisible relationships were being built then among different sections of the society. It had worked both ways. For irresistible Khushwant Singh, environment stories had no takers. Much before I could take him on his words, the freshly launched New Delhi had closed down its shutters. As I remember those illustrious editors and lament the demise of several magazines that had shaped my world view, I recall with concern one such magazine that folded before it could publish two of my accepted articles. Such was the the impact of advertisement revenue drying up that even Contour, a magazine published by the Hindustan Times group, closed a few months after its launch in the late 80's. For a freelance writer it meant missing out on buying a favorite dinner. 

The niche magazines that created a social and cultural connect with the times could not bear the aversion of financial backers. It had led life coming to a pause for many like me, denying us the space we needed to grow and flourish.

First published in Outlook, for the week ending Nov 01, 2021.

74. The comforting cup of good hope

The pandemic has taught the real virtue of a cup of tea, without fail each sip offers a warm hug during such torrid times. The cups of tea that give a warm hug are also a salute to those untiring efforts by unknown people who pluck soft tea buds for further processing which makes the beverage a daily reality. Having co-existed with tea as its constant companion ever since, I wonder if I can claim myself to be a tea-totaler?

Friends ask; what do you do when you are not doing anything? Drinking tea, what else! Literally, that has been the case. It helps me take a break, sip through the past moments and slip into the next. It is more of a norm than an exception to break for a cup of tea between two tasks, considered a fundamental right in offices and at work places. The prime reason seems that a cup of tea - warm and comforting - inspires a feeling of relaxation and trust that fosters shared confidence.

Is it an addiction or a carefully considered compulsive habit? Inconclusive it may be, however, the way it works is even more amazing. If you are feeling sleepy, you need a cup of tea; and a warm cup of tea can put you to sleep as well. It works both ways. If you are feeling cold, tea will warm you; if you are restless, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you; and, if you are excited it will calm you. No other beverage, and that too a concoction has so much on offer at an abysmally low price.

During college days, I was one among a few who would consume as many as 16-17 cups of tea daily. At that rate, by a conservative estimate one would drink anywhere between 22k - 28k litres of tea in an active lifetime. Friends will often wonder if it is tea that flows in my veins? Japanese count such expressions as compliments, and instead argue that ‘if man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty'. I would imagine that a cup of tea helps in seeing some of the great things in life.

I have experienced that unlike other drinks, a cup of tea in itself makes for good company. From the first sip to the last, one gets transported to the hills among tea gardens with flowing streams, chirping birds, and hovering clouds. From shattering loneliness to invoking freshness, a cup of tea at any time of the day is refreshing, something that we Indians simply can’t live without. Sometimes I feel it is an aggregate of many things rolled into a cup, the aroma and flavor are just physical manifestations.  

With its multi-variants now on offer, chai is one beverage that has come of age to meet all tastes and all needs. The pandemic has created conditions to explore as many of those variants. And, I can safely say that I'm not done yet. 

First published in Deccan Herald on Oct 13, 2021.